Day 9… I think – January 11.

My achilles heel was really bothering me yesterday, and again today, but it’s not as bad as it was. I’ve been trying to take it easy a bit on some of the exercises, but still participate. I’ve been icing it, and enjoying the hot tub, which helps.

We’re working away on our group projects, making puppets and things, and also trying a couple of run throughs of the basic premise of it. Pete has given us some feedback, and we have a lot to work on yet, but I feel like we’ve got a solid handle on it, and a good start on building. I am making a choir of ravens. Today I did some more paper-mache-ing of the paper and tape forms, and gesso’d them. I didn’t take my camera to open studio, so I have no photos – maybe tomorrow.

In Suzuki, we are starting to combine exercises, the marching square into statues, into shako hachi. These descriptions will probably only make sense to those in the program with me. Every day it seems I find just a little bit more focus, just a little bit more connection to chi, although this morning, there were a few moments when there was more than most. It is a good challenge for me to be open to this and these ideas, as they are not generally something that I’ve really explored in my regular life.

Tomorrow, we will not do Suzuki, which has become my favourite part of the day. It’s funny, I thought Open Studio (building things) would be my favourite part of the day. It is definitely where I am most comfortable, but Suzuki is really about connecting as a group and being in touch with your chi, and I find that really challenging and interesting.

Anyway, going to relax a bit, ice my heel, and go to sleep. These are long, but wonderful days.